


Farewell

by khilari



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 09:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15069869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khilari/pseuds/khilari
Summary: There are three months between the Duel called Revolution and Anthy's departure from Ohtori. Enough time for the members of the student council to stop by to talk to her.





	Farewell

Anthy is going to leave Ohtori.

It’s a new idea and she turns it over in her mind, like a butterfly emerged from its cocoon drying its wings before it flies. She will leave Ohtori, but for now she waits, and plans, and waters the roses.

*

First comes Touga, leaning against the doorframe with a casual arrogance that belies his choice not to enter without permission. He’s used her birdcage as a trysting spot before, but now he glances at her and away, awaiting his cue.

‘Touga-sempai,’ she says.

‘Himemiya-san.’ He nods at her, then looks at her almost pleadingly. ‘Did she win?’

‘Who knows.’

He brushes a hand through his hair. ‘Where is she?’

‘Who knows.’ Anthy hears her voice quiver a little. Tormenting her brother’s acolyte is bringing up a little too much of the truth.

Lashes veil his eyes, reminding her that there’s a little bit of her in this one too, for all he likes to play at being her brother. ‘Is she dead?’ He glances up as he says it, wanting to see her face, and she realises that those eyes, blue as shards of ice, glass, mirror, are holding unshed tears.

‘She’s not dead,’ she says, softening a little. ‘She’s free.’ Or so Anthy hopes, hopes fiercely enough that somehow she’ll make it true if she has to search the whole world.

‘Oh.’ His voice catches on something like wonder.

‘You should get to class, sempai.’

‘Yes. Thank you, Himemiya-san.’

*

Nanami stomps in, head held high and hands trembling. Brave, arrogant princess, walking into a witch’s hut.

‘Touga says she’s alive,’ she says. ‘Is she?’

‘Yes.’

‘I’m glad,’ says Nanami, abruptly. ‘If you find her tell her I’m sorry for… for our first duel.’

Anthy looks up at her, eyes widening behind her glasses. ‘If I find her?’

Nanami huffs. ‘Don’t be dense. And tell me if you need money.’

‘Oh my, Nanami-san, I forget you can be perceptive. You hide it so well.’ Anthy smiles. ‘I will be fine.’

‘Good to know _someone_ will after this mess,’ Nanami snaps and turns on her heel.

‘Nanami-san?’ Anthy calls. ‘Thank you.’

Nanami hesitates, one hand on the door. ‘Whatever.’

*

Saionji knocks on the birdcage’s door, so deliberately gentle it sounds tentative. When she opens it he thrusts an envelope at her without meeting her eyes and leaves as soon as she takes it. On the way out he drops a banana by Chu-Chu.

When she opens the letter it just says, ‘sorry.’

*

Miki asks if he can stay for a while, waters the roses with her and shares the gossip.

‘I’ve been teaching Tsuwabuki my job,’ he says, in the light tones of someone who doesn’t much mind if she’s not listening. ‘He doesn’t follow Nanami around anymore. Those girls don’t, either. It’s probably a good thing, since she didn’t treat them very well, but I wonder whether she’s lonely. I don’t think she and Touga have made up, even though they did turn out to be blood siblings.’

‘It might be better if they don’t,’ says Anthy, gently.

Miki turns big, blue eyes on her, full of naivety and the belief that no one, really, can be that bad. It stops her heart for a moment, making her turn away from the resemblance. ‘Do you think so?’ he asks, worried. ‘I’ve been spending more time with Kozue lately.’

‘That’s a different situation,’ Anthy says. As is her situation, in the end. Touga is a mortal child and Nanami neither a princess nor a witch. ‘It’s up to them what they do.’

‘I suppose.’ Miki smiles at her, shyly. ‘Can I stop by again? I don’t know if we were ever friends… not when I was duelling for you… but I’d like to be.’

‘You’re always welcome, Miki-kun,’ she says. Like this he is gentle, undemanding.

Soon she will be gone, and it is just as well. She is a poor friend for anyone.

*

Juri does not come and that makes Anthy smile. It is the dropping of a stitch, the breaking of a ritual. It should have been all of them, one after another, and it is not. Juri has heard that Utena is alive and feels no need to seek closure with Anthy herself, who she never liked very much to begin with.

They only came because they wanted to.


End file.
